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Description: | Ref.: 2010 T335(Rec. no. 7168)Surface metal analysis conducted at the British Museum indicated an approximate silver content for the ingot of 94%, the remainder being copper with a trace of lead and gold. This is likely to be a slight overestimate of the silver content of the core metal, as corrosion alters the composition of the surface of the ingot by preferentially leaching out the copper; the ingot weighs 10.23 grams.The ingot appears to have been cast in an open mould as a typical cigar shape with rounded ends and then the upper and lower surfaces were hammered flat, giving it a more or less rectangular section; length, 38mm. One surface also shows faint transverse ribbing caused by further hammering and there are shallow, transverse cut marks around the mid-point of both sides. The basic form, re-shaping and ribbed surface are all typical of Viking-period ingots. They were probably used as bullion in trade and commercial transactions before the introduction of coinage and possibly also sometimes as stock pieces of precious metal for casting into jewellery.The ingot from the Fillongley area would therefore qualify as Treasure under two of the stipulated criteria of the Treasure Act: it is more than 300 years old and the precious metal content exceeds 10%.B.M. AgerCuratorDepartment of Prehistory & EuropeBritish Museum13/7/2011
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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